As a crafter, we accumulate supplies we may or may not want to keep, but in order to create that one project when we were younger, we needed that little bit of glitter, or the mound of ribbon that now hides under our beds. However, without those supplies we never would have developed into the chaotic, creative crafter that we are (or wish to be).
1. Mod Podge
Everyone and their mother has some sort of finishing glue. With the variety of glues for deco paging and finishing, this glue does more than stick two pieces of paper together.
2. E-6000
I remember the first time I bought E-6000.I ended up gluing my fingers to my jewelry project. That is a mistake you make once with E-6000. Another mistake you only make once with it? Using it in a small enclosed area without proper ventilation. E-6000 is a great glue if you need to bind two things together that would not necessarily stay together in the first place, but it is a pain if you get it anywhere it is not supposed to be (for example fingers, clothing, or beds). Be careful with this glue, and remember that a little goes a very, very long way.
3. Pliers
I cannot tell you how many times I stole my dad’s needle nose pliers until my parents gave me my first set of jewelry pliers. I am fairly sure my dad was sick of me losing his, and eventually gave in to buy me my own. I now have several sets of jewelry pliers, and no one is allowed to touch them.
4. Scissors (of various types and sizes)
Fabric shears, pinking shears, detail scissors, the scissors you used in first grade because you lost the rest of your scissors. Yes, I have lost more scissors than I have lost pliers. Yes, I am currently using a pair of 99 cent scissors because I cannot find any in my apartment right now. What can I say? They are hard to keep track of. Believe it or not, I have more scissors than I really need, but I am constantly losing my scissors! Maybe I should make a scissor organizer (but what happens when I lose that?)
5. Paint and Brushes
At some point everyone has had a painting project. It might not have been on canvas, and it might not have been on wood. There are many unconventional things that can be done with paint. Right now, I am painting displays for a craft fair. Who knew that I would go through an entire bottle of paint in one night? Depending on the color, paint can be extremely helpful, however, it can also take up room in whatever space you have for crafts.
6. Scrapbook Paper
The first time I bought scrapbooking paper, it was for a jewelry project with my mom. Now I have books upon books of scrapbooking paper that I use for just about everything. Do I need all of this paper? Not necessarily. Is it really cute? Yes. Will I eventually use it? As soon as I get over the fact that I will not be able to use it in another project.
7. Ribbon
Remember that one project you had when you were younger and required a quarter of a spool of ribbon? Do you still have that ribbon? I sure do. I am not sure I will ever use ribbon in my DIY projects anymore. The only time that I use ribbon now, is to create bookmarks for the journals that I bind. I have reached the point in my crafting career where I am about ready to quit ribbon altogether because I seem to have too much of it laying around!
8. Fabric
Having a sewing machine contributes greatly to my fabric obsession (I might have spent $200 on fabric when a local fabric store was closing). But, I know many crafters who do not have sewing machines, and some of them do not know how to sew but they still horde fabric. While usually meant to be sewn, fabric can be used in (almost) every project that someone might choose to endeavor. Recently, I discovered an adhesive that will iron onto fabric and then you can attach the fabric to anything you can iron! This opened many crafting doors. It was mind blowing!
9. Yarn
If you crochet or knit you will have yarn, and sometimes large quantities of yarn, depending on the projects you work on. For example, if you make ear warmers for the winter, that does not necessarily require a lot of yarn, but if you make afghans, you will need large quantities of yarn for each project! However, if we are not a crocheter or knitter, we probably still have some yarn laying around. Much like the ribbon, we probably have a skein or two somewhere in our craft supplies that we used once for a project that we finished (or planned to finish) years ago. Now, it just sits in our supplies waiting to be use again.
10. Glitter
I do not know anyone who likes glitter except my sister who is the glitter queen. Every crafter I have ever met has had to use glitter at some point, and vowed to never use it again. Now the still full container of glitter sits in our craft bins waiting to be used. However, years after the glitter project we still somehow manage to find glitter specks all over our rooms, projects and supplies, regardless of how many times we have washed everything (or even moved to a new house/apartment/dorm.)
11. Hot Glue Gun (and sticks)
Truth be told, I do not care much for hot glue guns. I think they have a time and a place, and fabric is not usually associated with my glue gun. In fact, it drives me crazy when I see YouTubers use hot glue with fabric. I do not even own a hot glue gun! I steal my brother's whenever I need to hot glue something.
While the next three are not necessarily supplies, these are important to crafters who want to expand their horizons, or to get more organized in what they are making. For me, these resources have been extremely influential in how I approach crafting.
12. Organization
Every crafter needs some sort of organization. Be it a bin where everything is thrown into when they finish a project, a caddy where each item has a space, or a studio with its own set of rules. There is a point where a crafter can no longer take a messy table, so naturally we decide to DIY ourselves some sort of organization.
13. YouTube
Don’t know how to do something? YouTube it. Learning a new skill is important to people who are developing their crafting/DIY world. YouTube can be a great resource for many people as videos are (mostly) free and we can watch someone up close perform the skill that we want to learn. Additionally, it can provide us with ideas to create your own items, and potentially inspire you to develop our own lines of products to sell online or to create our own YouTube channels.
14. Pinterest
Much like YouTube, Pinterest is a great resource for people just developing crafting skills, or looking for ideas. I know when I am in the mood to make something, I usually scour Pinterest until I find the perfect craft, and then I am no longer in the mood to make something. But I save it for later, and when I have the hankering to create again, I pull up what I have pinned, and voila! A project is made.
15. Optional: Sewing Machine
Going along the lines of the fabric, since not everyone sews, not everyone needs a sewing machine. However, since I do sew and I sew a lot, I have three sewing machines. Sure, in reality I only use one (her name is Catherine), I used my mother’s until it practically died on me, and one is a vintage sewing machine for the ‘50s. If you only do a little bit of sewing, it might not be practical to have a sewing machine. In the scheme of crafting supplies, it takes up a lot of space and they can be expensive. Hand sewing is often an option and can be more cost effective. Learn some basic stitches and you are set for sewing. However, if you start creating several sewn items, it would be a good idea to consider investing in a sewing machine.
What do you think I missed? Do you have any vital crafting supplies that you could not live without? What are your favorite crafting supplies?
